#Religious Significance and #Medicinal value of #Tulsi

 

 

One of the most auspicious plants in a Hindu home is the Tulsi plant, which is worshipped as a Goddess, an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. People plant the Tulsi in a special pot called the Tulsi Madom which has carvings of Goddess Lakshmi among others on its four sides. There is a space on this pot dedicated to the placing of a lighted diya or lamp. One has to water and care for the Tulsi plant daily and the leaves are used for the worship of Lord Mahavishnu. They are generally woven into a garland to adorn Sri Krishna or Sri Rama. In fact, a Tulsi leaf is generally used for offering Neivedyam to Gods and Goddesses during worship. There are two types of Tulsi which are worshipped by the Hindus. They are the Rama Tulasi which has a light green stem and the Krishna Tulsi or Shyam Tulsi which has a dark stem. Vrindavan, the forest of Tulsi, is completely under the protection of Devi Vrinda. She is the one who arranges everything for the divine couple Sri Krishna and Radha Rani. Entry into Vrindavan is only possible with her blessing.  The Tulsi is said to connect the devotee with the Lord and lead him on the path of bhakti..

The legend goes that Brinda (Vrinda) was the pious wife of the Asura King, Jalandhara. She was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu. Due to her continuous worship of the Lord, Jalandhara gained in strength and became almost invincible. None of the Devas could defeat him as Vrinda had undertaken vows for his victory. The Devas prayed to Lord Shiva to fight and vanquish Jalandhara. But it was difficult for even Lord Shiva to defeat him as Vrinda’s devotion and worship proved to be the protective shield for the Asura King.

Jalandhara was becoming more and more proud of his prowess and the prolonged battle worried Mata Parvati. She knew that the power of Jalandhara was in his wife’s virtuous love for her husband and her devotion to Lord Vishnu. The Devas therefore approached Mahavishnu for help. The Lord, though not happy about deceiving his beloved devotee, had to take the decision to come to Vrinda in the guise of her husband. Believing the Lord to be her husband Jalandhara, she left her worship and touched the feet of Mahavishnu reverently. Her one minute of distraction was enough to make Jalandhara weak and Lord Shiva could vanquish him. When Vrinda came to know of her husband’s death and the cause of it being her beloved God, she was saddened and furious. She cursed Mahavishnu to become a stone for being stonehearted towards her devotion. She also cursed the Lord to be separated from his wife which happened in the Rama avatar, when Rama and Sita were separated. The Lord accepted her curse and turned into a black Shaligrama stone. He also blessed his devotee to become a Tulsi plant and promised to marry her on the Prabhodini Ekadashi day, and that’s the reason for the Tulsi-Shaligrama vivah being performed with great devotion every year on that day.

 Apart from the religious significance of the Tulsi, the medicinal properties of this plant are well documented in the Ayurveda. Also known as the Holy Basil, the Tulsi leaves are an important ingredient in almost all ayrvedic medicines for cough, cold, headache and other ailments. The plant of the family Lamiaceae is widely found in India and some other South East Asian countries.

It is a rich source of Vitamin C and Zinc. Hence it is an immunity booster. It has anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties, thereby helping the body to fight against infections. The juice of Tulsi mixed with ginger and honey is very effective in reducing cough and cold, influenza, bronchitis and asthma. It has anti inflammatory properties which reduce inflammation and blood pressure. It is good for heart patients as well as for reducing sugar levels in diabetic patients. The Tulsi is also useful in treating gastrointestinal disorders, Gout and Kidney stones. Apart from all this it is said to improve the skin texture and prevent premature ageing because it is rich in antioxidants.

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